


Water Rescue

by Merfilly



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Huddling For Warmth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 03:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6177541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nightwing goes into the water, of course Slade followed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Water Rescue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gryphonrhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gryphonrhi/gifts).



"Just had to fall in the water, didn't you, Kid," Slade said with gruff affection, keeping Dick afloat despite the ice cold water and his slow strokes to conserve energy, produce heat, and get them to a safe enough spot to get out before anything else picked up their trail.

"Didn't see… you… wait much… before joining me," Dick sputtered out, already losing a fight with the cold. Granted, his suit had been cut and rent in ways that meant it was pretty useless against the water.

"Wasn't throwing any more money away on a bad job. Figure I can make up the losses some other way," Slade said, glad the Kid was at least conscious and trying his best to be a good float buddy. Too many people, in a rescue swim situation, fought it despite themselves.

"Always the money," Dick said, the words slightly slurred, and that was enough for Slade to make for the dim safety of the bank where an overhang would shelter them from searchers above. He had to get the Kid dry and warm, without the use of a fire at that.

"Hang on, Kid." Slade cleared the last few strokes, and pulled himself and the Titan out of the frigid water onto the bank. His armor and boots felt twice as heavy, but he kept moving, all the way to where he could put his back against the ridge that curved up over their heads. "You're soaked through," he added once he could settle the Kid in front of him. His own gear might be soaked, but as far as his skin went, he was dry, protected by the under-suit.

"I'll be fine," Dick protested. 

"Certainly." Slade snorted at him even as he said it though. "Boots, socks off. Find whatever blanket or heat sources survived the mangling of your costume."

"Bossy," Dick said, but he started moving to do that. Slade reached and found a compressed blanket in one of his own pouches, while appreciating that the Kid was even wriggling free of the upper part of his costume, reducing how much skin was in contact with the wet material. 

"Leave the pants… too much of a chance we'll need to run again, and I don't think you want to give the natives that much of a view," Slade smirked.

"Alright." Dick found his own blanket and a ration heater. Slade took all of what they had, getting Dick situated in front of his body and the blankets prepped to make a small tent around their bodies. The ration heater was placed in front of them and activated before he drew the shelter around, trapping the heat in it.

"Hate the smell of those things," he complained. "But we've got to get you warmer before we move on."

"Yeah… yeah we do," Dick agreed, closing his eyes as he rested his head back on Slade's shoulder. "Always rescuing Titans," he murmured.

"Someone's got to, Kid. Y'all have trouble written in your DNA." Slade was regretting that Dick had put his head on the blind side, making it harder for him to look down at his face without disturbing the shelter around them. "Besides, sometimes you're useful."

"Not just pretty?" slipped out of Dick's mouth before he could even think about it. Slade laughed softly.

"Never just that, or anything else, Kid. Now rest; you're not in much danger now that we've got heat near you." 

"Can think of better ways to be warm."

"Kid, if you don't stop flirting, I'm dragging you back to Kenya with me for a week."

"Okay."

Slade just sighed, and settled in to listen, while a piece of his brain played with that willing reply. Come the morning, when the Kid's brain had kicked back in, he was sure it would be forgotten, conveniently, and Slade would let him. That didn't mean he wouldn't be thinking about it once they parted ways again, wishing that there weren't lines blurring so frequently between them.


End file.
